


How Hard Can It Be?

by glittergrenade



Category: Avengers (Comics), Avengers Academy
Genre: Angst, Babysitting, Cute Babies are Cute, Fluff, Gen, Godfather - Godson Relationship, Hank is a good godfather I'm telling ya, Humor, Lovvvveeeee, Mental Health Issues, Mental Illness, Mental Instability, bayyyybeeeeey, don't stop to think about it, made up sciency words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5536841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittergrenade/pseuds/glittergrenade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tigra has a job interview, the task of babysitting her baby goes to Hank; but the blond superhero might not understand what he's getting into...</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Hard Can It Be?

**Author's Note:**

> So firstly tbh whatever happened to Avengers Academy haha... they were close to closing it a good few times, but they never technically did on-panel and marvel wiki says it's still active! But in Avengers AI (aka one of the greatest short-lived series ever) Hank didn't seem like he was running no school, and...
> 
> my point is, baby William is awesome and Hank babysitting is even awesomer.
> 
> *looks at watch to see when Hank's gonna unmeld from Ultron and when the heck this baby here is gonna be brought back into the picture*

"Hank, I have to go."

Hank looked up from his lab project to see Greer's face to match the familiar voice, but she didn't seem urgent as he expected. He frowned in confusion. "What is it, Tigra — you, you need back-up?"

"Hank," she sighed, and Hank did a double take. Okay… huh, she wasn't even wearing her bikini uniform (interesting — seemed she always wore that thing). Instead she had on what looked like a very neat dress suit, with very high impractical heels bolstering her feet (she was taller than Hank now), and her orange hair was pulled up with a simple dark clip. Her tiny son William was sitting on her shoulder, gurgling and beaming. Man, that kid was growing fast. He was still so cute!

And Hank was still so confused.

"What's going on?" His lack of comprehension was making him more worried, and he felt his heart begin to pound. He clenched a fist. "You infiltrating some evil organization?" Oh yeah, that had to be it. He felt his breathing start to normalize. But wait — no. Greer had her same normal striped fur, that couldn't be convenient for such a mission. It was impossible to hide that she was Tigra (well, barring the use of an image inducer or the assistance of a generous telepath — maybe she needed him to build her something for that?).

"Just a job interview," Greer raised an eyebrow. "I haven't had a proper job since Avengers Academy."

"Oh!" Hank sighed as it all came together. Then he frowned. "You can just work for me again!"

"Doing what?" Greer took her baby down in her arms, and little William leapt onto Hank's lap. Hank almost laughed in surprise, putting a finger for William to hopefully grab. He fell for the bait. Greer clucked her tongue, smiling faintly. "The Academy's mostly died down. I'm nowhere near your level in science, and I don't think I could be much use anyway. Besides, a job outside the world of punches and capes'll do me good." She smiled.

"Oh. Okay. Good, then." Hank set his hand on the baby's back, still looking up at the mother. There was a silence. "So you're asking me to babysit?"

"I'm asking if you think you can handle it," Greer corrected.

"Oh." Hank tossed his head, a moment of pride coming into him. "Well, I am his godfather. You asked me to take care of him if something ever happens to you. Now's as good a time to prepare as any, right?" Greer stared at him and Hank realized in alarm what he'd just said. Backtrack. "I mean, just in case. Like, it's got to be reassuring…"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, I get you." Greer squeezed his shoulder friendlily. "Be good for Hank, okay William? You're such a good boy." She turned. "Seeya." Glancing at her watch, she bounded out of the room.

"Okay…" Hank glanced down at William, who blinked innocently with big yellow eyes. Aww. "How hard can this be? You're such a sweet little — no, don't touch that!" he cut off abruptly as William reached his little claws for Hank's science project.

At the shout, William leapt straight off Hank's lap into the midst of metal wires. _Well crap._ "Hey!" Hank reached for the baby, grateful these particular wires were inactive so they received the harm rather than William. Still, there was bountiful other active machinery lingering about the lab, and William had to be made known that this wasn't acceptable, so he wouldn't get himself hurt. "No!" Hank belatedly half-squealed, as William slipped past his fingers and hopped onto a wall-mounted shelf. It was where Hank kept things like his matter-inhibitor and his size-inducer.

He leapt out of his chair, growing so he could hopefully grab the baby in one hand. It didn't work. William was lithe and acrobatic as he hopped along the shelves, and Hank's increased size did little but make him even clumsier for the little guy. William giggled and clapped, darting between Hank's fingers as if he thought it was a game. Obviously, this wasn't the right approach.

Hank shrunk to his normal size and snapped out his wasp wings. He hadn't always had these wings; he had grafted them on himself in homage of Janet when she had died. Of course, she was alive again now and he was currently Giant-Man, but he still had them, and made use of them as he flew up to try and catch the baby. As Yellowjacket he'd flown too, but Wasp just seemed better for as delicate a situation as this. He needed to keep a grip on himself if he was going to get a grip on the baby. "William, no! Get back here!" It was incredible how close to destruction William kept innocently coming, how easily he danced over shrink prototype disks and Pym bio bombs without even looking at them. Hank's breathing alternated between gasps of fear and sighs of relief.

"William — ah!" Hank crashed face-first into a stack of recycled machine parts as he missed snatching his godson by inches. Why was it so hard to catch a baby? It didn't even make sense! He took as little time as possible to recover, rubbing his face hard, but even during that moment William darted out the room. Whining softly to himself in pain and frustration, Hank stumbled to his feet and ran after the kid. Well, at least he was outta the lab. What harm could possibly come to William… _in the kitchen?!_

Bad question. The baby was already crouching on the counter, playing with a very big tomato-slicing knife. "No!" Hank cried, running towards him. Startled, William dropped the knife, leapt across the sink, and onto the oven. He backed against it, before interestedly nuzzling the dials, innocently turning the stove on.

Hank swore loudly. So this was the worst case scenario of building his own superheated stove top! It heated up so fast and quick — oh no. "William!" Hank yelped desperately, skidding towards him as fast as he could. William hopped right over his head, tiny claws grazing Hank's hair, as Hank tripped and slammed into the stove. He felt sharp burning pain in multiple parts of his body.

He stopped, wincing and stumbling and trying not to cry. And though it hurt like hell, the tears felt to start more from humiliation than from pain. This wasn't working. He wasn't working. He wasn't good enough. Could he be more useless? He couldn't even handle his own genetic baby! The greatest legacy he'd ever built for himself was literally giving life to an evil killer robot; he'd done something so impressive that had brought on so much death, yet he couldn't do this tiny good deed… was he really just incapable of good? Even this one little thing? Hank wanted to be good. He tried so hard to be good. He wished he could be good.

Oh man. Maybe that thought earlier about not wanting to be Yellowjacket in this situation…? Maybe it hadn't been the best thought. Maybe Yellowjacket could actually handle a baby, protect William, as well as save the heart (and respect! gratitude!) of Tigra. Yes, that was the only thing to do right now. Like this Hank was useless. He could feel it throughout.

In an instant he darted to the closet, and rifling through he yanked out an old Yellowjacket uniform from behind several lab coats and an ugly Christmas sweater. He threw off his lab clothes and pulled it on, quickly, rushed, urging the familiar feel of the ostentatious material to bring Yellowjacket to the surface of his psyche. Unfortunately, it didn't initially seem hard. His failure thus far in protecting William had made him yearn to be something more capable, not sweet — and what was capable of saving the baby if not Yellowjacket?

Huh. Hank smirked to himself, a sudden wave of confidence smothering the self-deprecation. Catching a freaking baby? It was nothing for Yellowjacket. He paused as he tried to set eyes on the kid again. Where'd he gone to? "William," Hank's came out a half-song. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

William popped his smiling head around the corner; at which challenge, uncertainty flooded through Hank again. No, no, he could do this! He took a slow step towards William. The baby flipped over and darted to a bookcase, hopping up the shelves as his tiny claws slid against the wood.

Hank sprinted over to it, arms ready just above William, but the kid wasn't so easily fooled. He leapt sideways just under Hank's shoulder, giggling and gurgling like he was having the time of his life. Hank's confidence sunk lower. Of course. Of course he couldn't do it, of course he couldn't just turn Yellowjacket on like a light switch. Ugh. Like he couldn't turn on any of his identities. And he could only be one at a time. Because otherwise his life would be too easy, right? Instead his mood swings had to be unpredictable and his life just had to flow with his brain irregularity and nothing could ever be convenient or easy for him. Nothing. Never. Not even babysitting.

He let himself collapse on an armchair, yanking his mask back from his face. He wasn't Yellowjacket. He was nothing. He couldn't even take care of his own baby godson! Tears welled again at his eyes, and this time he couldn't hold them back. He shut his eyelids slowly, feeling the tears slide between the cracks and drench his soft blond lashes. He was a failure. He was nothing.

_Nothing._

Suddenly he felt a pressure on his foot, and tiny points of discomfort like a needles. Something climbed up his leg, and then the feel of soft fur brushed his chest.

He opened his eyes. William was sitting there in his diaper, looking at him with wide eyes. The giggles were gone, to be replaced by a look of… affection? The look was a child's innocence… was William looking at him with love? As if all the kid had ever wanted was snuggle up with his goddaddy and spend quality time. Hank cradled the baby in his arms, and William seemed hug him back. Hank smiled.

"I love you, William."

"'Uv ooo," William cooed meaningfully, and Hank was sure he was saying he loved him too.

The blond scientist sighed in content. William was a troublesome baby, but he was a good one. A very good baby.

At that moment, the door opened, and a very alarmed-looking Greer came in. She still looked very nice, but her hair was frazzled as if she'd run fingers through it at least twice. Her mouth hung slightly open. "Hank?! Why is the house a partially-destroyed mess? I mean I know it's your place but — Hank, why are you dressed as Yellowjacket?!" Her eyes narrowed slightly at that last part.

"Mama," William gurgled, still curled relaxedly against Hank.

"Don't worry." Hank was surprisingly calm, and his voice came out soft as butter. It was true. There was no need for her to worry; yes, maybe there had been an urgent need a couple minutes ago, but not now. Now things were good. "He's been a very good kid, Greer, and don't mind the mess. How was your interview?"

**Author's Note:**

> The Yellowjacket uniform was behind an ugly Christmas sweater, ysee? Because it's Christmas Day?!!! On that note I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, or a happy Kwanzaa or Hanukah or Ramadan or whatever you celebrate!! Or if you don't celebrate any of them, I just hope you have a very nice day! <3


End file.
